The excitement in Tom Jackson’s voice shot through the phone line. When Bill Belichick’s Patriots visit Mike Shanahan’s Broncos, the ESPN analyst said, it’s going to be a “classic.”

“I think it is just going to be a tremendous, tremendous football game,” Jackson said. “I can hardly wait.”

One of the main reasons to be pumped is because of the coaches.

“They are the top of the heap,” said Jackson, a former Bronco. “Bill Belichick is actually top of the heap. I think probably coach Shanahan, with his two championships and his pedigree, is a notch or two under him. They both have a lot of the same abilities to come up with unique schemes.”

But Shanahan – who has two Super Bowl wins, but no playoff wins without John Elway – is not looked at by most as Belichick’s equal.

Don’t think for a moment that Shanahan isn’t aware of this.

“Coaches also have egos,” Jackson said.

While there have been a lot of references this week to the Broncos’ 28-20 win over the Patriots in Denver in mid-October, Jackson thinks a Monday night in November 2003 might be more important.

That evening, Belichick outsmarted Shanahan.

With New England down 24-23, Belichick took a safety with 2:46 remaining – giving the Broncos a 26-23 lead, but also giving the Pats significantly better field position when the subsequent punt pinned Denver at its own 15.

After New England got the ball back, Belichick and then-offensive coordinator Charlie Weis didn’t just settle for three, they went to the end zone, as Tom Brady found David Givens for an 18-yard touchdown with 30 seconds left, resulting in a 30-26 Patriots’ win.

“I can guarantee you that is something that Mike Shanahan has not forgotten,” Jackson said. “The only thing you could take away from it is that somehow coach Belichick had kind of outwitted Mike Shanahan.”

While Belichick’s legacy is secure, Shanahan has something to prove, having never really been successful without Elway.

So who is going to prevail Saturday?

“My initial thought is that the Denver Broncos are not losing at home,” said Jackson, who still bleeds a little Orange.